Power in Unwind

After reading Neal Shusterman's book, Unwind, I think a very prevalent theme throughout the book is that of power and control. This is shown to us right away on the page that explains the Bill of Life. The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. However, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent may choose to retroactively "abort" a child... The government and parents have the most control throughout this book and in some aspects, they basically act as one.

Once a parent signs the papers needed to "unwind" their child, the government takes over that child's life as if they are now property of them. There's also no changing your mind once these papers are signed. Done means done. As for the issue if whether a child dies? No. According to the government, the child is now living through someone else, so they are technically still alive. This is a concept I am still trying to grasp.

Parents in this book have complete control over their child, specifically between the ages of 13-18. Their child may have been like Lev as a tithe and was born to be unwound. Or, their child may be like Connor and he was just too much to handle. Whatever the reason, these parents have complete control as to the fate of these children. A signature that changes a life forever. Another concept I still cannot fully fathom.

This book definitely had my attention. I found myself with so many questions throughout this book..wondering "what if?" I had questions in the beginning and I'm left with questions at the end. I think most of these conclusions just have to be drawn personally from the reader because realistically there will never be a concrete answer given.